Intake- and exhaust-system upgrades are two of the most popular modifications done by off-road enthusiasts. Not only is just about every truck in the dirt running these aftermarket parts, but they are also usually the two first installed. Not only do both of these mods make your ride sound a ton better, but we feel they are necessities to the life of your off-road toy. A good intake system will help keep all that dirt out of your engine, and a solid exhaust system will ensure your ride breathes properly for many years to come. Not to mention that together they will provide additional horsepower, which is always a good thing. Our friends over at Volant Performance heard we were building a new '08 Toyota Tundra and wanted us to check out their new systems. We spent the past eight months with their intake and exhaust on our truck, and here are our thoughts.

Fast-forward eight months later when we opened the air box for the first time (the pictures you see here). Our entire engine bay was covered in dirt just like most off-road toys are. We removed the filter to see if any rocks, birds, or old paper cups had made their way into our box. Much to our surprise, not only was the filter clean, but the inside of the box was clean as well. Knocking the filter against the ground spilled out much less dirt than we normally saw from your average non-oiled filter. The internal portion of the filter was extremely clean, still looking as if it were installed the same day. Will this filter take us to 100,000 miles as Volant says? Only time will tell, but so far it's doing its job very well.

So how is the exhaust doing? Exhaust systems take a while to settle in and reveal their true sound. After about a week, ours did just that, and it sounded great. Now, with a lot of miles of abuse on it and having plenty of rocks being thrown at it in the dirt, we take a look. The stainless steel body is holding up great. There are no dents, tears, or noticeable marks ... just a whole bunch of dirt. All of our connections are still strong as we checked them. The polished tip is still in great shape, as is each hanger. With the extra sound volume from the dumped end, the truck is still loud but in a good way. On the freeway cruising at about 75 mph, it's a noticeable low throaty sound that doesn't drown out your radio. Sending the gas pedal to the floor really brings the exhaust and intake to life, and we did notice an increased throttle response and a little more get-up-and-go.